Willie Yahn Can't Prevent Another One-Run UConn Loss

STORRS — This day's work for Willie Yahn included a couple of ringing hits, numerous dives in the dirt around third base, one resulting in an out at home plate.

"And they're majestic dives, too," coach Jim Penders said. "He plays with that long hair of his on fire. He plays the game exactly the way we want it played, and he's every opposing coach's favorite player, too."

Yahn left J.O. Christian Field with a filthy uniform, which is typical, and another one-run loss, which has become all too typical for the Huskies this season. But, as always, he's ready to put on a clean jersey and punch back in.

"It's still a work in progress on offense," Yahn said Sunday, after UConn's 3-2 loss to East Carolina. "We have little bright spots here and there. But we're going to try to get some momentum going into the conference tournament."

Yahn, a sophomore from Housatonic Regional in Falls Village, hit .343 as a freshman in 2015 and still rarely sees a pitch he doesn't like — or misses the ones he does like. In 46 games this season, with 197 at-bats, he has only nine walks and 15 strikeouts - but his .320 average is tops on the team, and his .366 on-base percentage and .452 slugging are near the top. He is tied with Houston's Joe Davis for the American Athletic Conference lead in hits with 63.

"As long as I can remember, I've always been an aggressive hitter," Yahn said. "I try to get that pitch early in the count, because it might be the only one you're going to get."

Hits were hard to come by against ECU's Jacob Wolfe, who beat UConn for the second time this season and completed the Pirates' damaging weekend sweep. Yahn's line single to center field in the first was the Huskies' only hit until Yahn began a ninth-inning rally with a single to left.

In between, UConn starter Wills Montgomerie, also a sophomore from the state's northwest corner, pitched with a lot of poise, holding the hard-hitting Pirates scoreless for six inning, stranding nine runners to do it.

"He took a deep breath, slowed himself down and made his pitches," Penders said. "He had a bulldog look to him. He was sensational, and I told him that."

Yahn's diving stop and throw home helped Montgomerie escape a second-and-third, no out jam in the third inning. He also pitched out of a two-on, no-out jam in the sixth,

But Montgomerie's 104-pitch effort only resulted in a tie. In the eighth inning, after a 30-minute rain delay, the Pirates stroked two hits off C.J. Dandeneau, and Penders went to his top reliever, Pat Ruotolo. Dwanya Williams-Sutton, who hurt the Huskies in all three games, drove a fastball over the left field wall, a three-run homer.

East Carolina's bullpen was taxed to nail down two wins on Saturday, so Wolfe, with the one-hitter going, went for the complete game. After Yahn's hit, Joe DeRoche-Duffin singled. Bryan Daniello grounded to short, and it appeared second baseman Charlie Yorgen dropped the throw. After conferring, the umpires ruled he had held on long enough for a force at second. Tyler Gnesda singled in a run before Wolfe, with his 138th pitch, got Zac Susi on a groundout.

The Huskies (24-22, 8-9, fourth place in the AAC) are now 5-13 in games decided by one run, including seven one-run losses in conference play.

"The offense as a whole has been really struggling a little bit," Yahn said. "We're working really hard, trying to work on our small-ball game, get back to our break-in-the-chain mentality."